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Yes I agree you should have had a gastric bypass at your weight. If Dr Ungson is no longer in practise I am sure that whomever he trained is well qualified. I had bariatric surgeries in Mexico by two different doctors and both surgeries were great. Best of luck!! Oh and I hear that yes DS is under 10,000 I had a quote and I beleive it was 9 and change.

The easiest way to find out what DS surgery your surgeon is offering/performing is to simply ask how many Anastomosis you will have? ONE (1) Anastomosis is the "Loop DS" and TWO (2) anastomosis is the True DS. Here's some info I pulled from another forum regarding SADI-LOOP: There is only one cut, no alimentary track/common channel - just a straight bypass of the first half of the small intestine; concerns include food backing up into the bypassed limb; bile reflux; the fact that you have in essence a 250 cm common channel with no alimentary limb - the downstream portion of the intestine after the pylorus is all fully absorbing everything (except of course the Vitamin and mineral absorption that normally occurs in the distal duodenum and jejunum). IT IS NOT A DS. It has no selective fat malabsorption. It has 250 cm of fat ABSORPTION. Nothing like the "fat is essentially free" diet of a proper DS. And it has ONLY 250 cm of Protein absorption. This is an EXPERIMENTAL procedure. It is not covered by insurance. It should only - in my opinion - be offered as part of a proper clinical trial, and NOT NOT NOT as a "cheaper, but just/almost as good" surgery offered to self-pays only. I have serious concerns about the ethics of doing that. Note that there is another so-called "variant" of the DS being offered by a few surgeons, which is even further from a proper DS, and which in my opinion should not even be referred to using the term "DS" - the biliopancreatic diversion with bipartition" - it has a STOMA! ........ Seems to me SADI is a setup for: 1. Persistent bile reflux into the stomach (one of the joys of DS) 2. Hypoproteinemia (and subsequent third-spacing of fluids (edema)) 3. Pooling of food in the proximal small intestine in patients with intestinal motility disorders (and maybe everyone to a degree) 4. Less fat malabsorption compared to DS with common channel less than 250cm (most DSers) 5. Less complex carb malabsorption (more contact time with pancreatic enzymes) 6. Suboptimal weight loss 7. Lesser resolution of diabetes type 2 compared to DS. The only potential benefits I can see are less risk of fat-soluble vitamin deficiency and possibly less GI side effects. And I cannot for the life of me understand the bipartition. Does the stoma act as a large sinkhole (dumping syndrome?)? Does the pressure of stomach peristalsis preferentially cause food to exit the stoma versus a competent pylorus? So much for ever taking NSAIDs again due to the risk of marginal ulcers. It is scary to even begin comparing these surgeries. They will end up giving DS a bad reputation if a distinction is not made due to poor outcomes. ▪▪▪▪

My doctor is very confident in both. He told me my best options were ds or bypass and the choice was up to me. The fact that not many doctors offer it kind of concerns me. I've heard so many stories about gastric bypass not working. People gain all their weight back. Can't imagine going through all this and having that be the outcome.

I'm also going back and forth between the two surgeries. I'm leaning towards the one and done. I'm reading that a lot of surgeons will lean you in the direction of their expertise which is Sleeve or Bypass my thought is to go with their recommendation since they are not confident in performing the DS. Being self pay I'll choose the DR that is confident in doing the DS and has performed enough with great reviews. I'm leaning towards Dr A Lopez but am going back and forth on Facility.

Really....that's very interesting. I know ds is better for long term, and that's why I'm leaning more towards it. Also, my BMI is around 53 so I would need to loose a substantial amount of weight. I knew someone who was around 400lbs and lost about 100 just to gain it all back plus some. She had the sleeve though. My doctor says he's very confident in both procedures. But, he also says the bypass is the "work horse" of weight loss surgery and he's done loads more of those. I guess that doesn't mean anything....I dno. Just scared to be honest

lc6342 and all of you who've experienced complications you have my sympathy. Pain in your left shoulder is a sign of a leak. I'm surprised your doctor didn't know that! I'm 3 weeks out from gastric bypass and I'm experiencing pain in my stomach, upper right side. Could be gall bladder. I can drink liquids but I can't keep any solids down. My ribs & diaphragm hurt so much from the regurgitation that occurs when I eat the simplest things. My doc is sending me to a gastroenterologist tomorrow. I hope that everyone gets relief & look back on this experience as a bump (massive potholes for some) in the road to healthy lives. Best wishes. JP

@@candacer If you search success stories on this site you will likely get alot of information. I was 51 when I had RNY gastric bypass. I chose bypass over sleeve because I suffered from GERD and RNY is know to cure it. I also had diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and stage 3 kidney disease. I am 5'10" and at my heaviest weight was 315 lbs. I lost a 152lbs in 18 months and reached my goal this past march. I went from a size 26 to a size 8/10. Best of all I no longer have GERD, sleep apnea, high BP or high cholesterol. My diabetes has been in remission since the day I had surgery and my stage 3 kidney disease has been in remission since 3 months post op. For me, having this surgery was the best thing I ever did. I had no complications and I believe that is because I followed doctors orders to the letter. I was scared when i started mostly because of all the required change but once I started the process i kept my goals top of mind and they literally drove me. Best of luck to you!

I signed the consent forms for removal of gallbladder and biopsy of Liver if necessary. Came out of surgery and with my gallbladder and no liver biopsy. I will definitely ask on my post op appointment why he felt it wasn't necessary to remove my gallbladder....We had this talk prior to surgery and told him to just take it out so that I wouldn't have to in the future.. Got some splainin to do lucy! HW 250/1st Lapband 198/2nd Lapband 232/Pre conversion 2/6/13 to bypass 232. Currently 206 Bariatric GW 134, Realistic GW 150

I'm still struggling between having a ds, and a bypass. I'm terrified of surgery, and want to only have to do it once. My doctor has assured me that I have narrowed it down to the correct two surgeries for me, but says it's a personal choice. I have done tons of research, and am leaning more towards the ds, but am scared of the extra risks. Any advice would be great! My insurance mandated diet is over next month. I'll be having surgery hopefully in November.

It's good that you're being so supportive and planning to work on this together. Personally, I think the lap-band makes it easier to adjust emotionally to the changes because the weight loss is more gradual than with the RNY. However, I guess any weight loss can cause emotional issues to surface. I hope that your insurance covers the band. Some companies are more open-minded than you might expect. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get approved (I had United Healthcare). Personally, I am not that enthused with the RNY. Since the lap-band is so much safer and less drastic, I think it's a better first choice for most people than the RNY is. You can always go back and get the lap-band revised to an RNY, but if you have trouble after a RNY there are not as many options left. So I'm really glad the lap-band was a choice for me. Good luck

Yesterday was the start of a new journey for me. A client/gastric bypass paitent asked...." When do you stop being a patient and start being a normal person again?" My first answer is that you are always a patient. From a Dr point of view that may be correct. There are many out there that either the band does not take in thier body or eventually some need to have it taken out. I hold a stand so that thes people may have some support to make sure they need no other surgeries, My Life Is My Message. I no longer hold any liquid inside my band, making my stomech normal again. My goal is to maintain my wieght, Concur any new stuggels with this journey. If this can help one person out there, Its worth every step. A great thanks to all of the supportive people out there. Remember One Step At A Time! Be patient with your self. Most of all LOVE YOU! BE YOU! Tiffany C

Ok, it's 2:30 am, just got back in from a great night seeing people I have not been with in 3+ years. But wanted to say today I found my cheekbones! I'm 6 weeks post op bypass. First pic take a couple years ago when I last saw this group This pic I just now took. Sorry for the bags under my eyes. It's late! So this is what My 50 year old face looks like!?!? I see a mini face lift in my future! Lol

Her Dr is the same as mine and he has never said anything to me about my weight loss and she is losing about the same as I was when I was 3 months out. He defintely knows the difference from the band and the gastric bypass. She has been really upset about him taking out her whole fill. She did get an appt for the 19th at 3:30 to get a fill. I am pretty sure he will do it for her. He has so many patients that he won't remember and I am sure he didn't write it in her chart.

I chose the sleeve over the band for all of the reasons listed above, and then some. My late mother-in-law had stomach cancer and had a stomach gastrectomy for that. She was left with even less capacity than I have, yet she still managed to eat and to take medications with it. I also have a sister in law who has had THREE Gastric Bypass surgeries, and we had a very frank, involved discussion of her complications and revisions. Not for me. Lastly, a former co-worker had the early stomach stapling surgery. Watching her eating habits and problems convinced me I'd rather be fat than have those issues. When I finally went for the seminar, I was initially going for the LB, but the doctor said one thing that convinced me completely. He said that those with the sleeve can only eat so much, period. Even for someone whose main problem was sweet addiction (like me), the sleeve is a better choice because it restricts how much of any food one can eat. I was sold, right then and there. 5 months and 81 pounds later, I'm very happy with my sleeve! Good luck with your decision.

I knew my insurance was accepted at the major hospitals. I investigated 2 in my area. I went to one and talked to the surgeon. I wasn't impressed. I then happen to run into a friend who had gotten bypass and asked who her surgeon was. I had to attend a seminar before I was allowed to even schedule an appointment but once I did I knew he was the one. I don't think I even told my primary until after they received a copy of my insurance approval letter about three quarters of the way through my pre-op testing.I wasn't worried as I knew she would be supportive and she has been. The seminars are a great way to see if this is an option for you. It will also help you to decide which type of WLS is best for you. I attended the seminar at the end of April, had my first surgical appointment in May and had surgery in September. It would have been August, but I had to take a month off for family vacation. The process can take anywhere from 3months to 12months depending on the program requirements and protocols for pre-op testing.

Surgery Coordinator messaged me today to let me know Cigna approved my insurance packet. I see my surgeon on Monday, 5/16, and we should be able to set up a surgery date. I’m hoping for June 8 or later…but not too much later as I want to get this done. I will also be having a large hiatal hernia repaired during the gastric bypass.

@TeeBeau exactly what my surgeon said, if I can start my diet and exercise leading up to the surgery it's like giving the bypass a head start

What led me to weight loss surgery isn't what led most people here. I didn't (don't) have food addictions, etc. I had medically induced obesity due to auto immune disease and long term corticosteroid use. So, I got a Lap Band in 2013, and lost about one hundred and forty pounds. I never got to a "normal" weight. It's like I reached a new set point and stopped losing. I pretty much maintained that for about five years or so and then I developed GERD. As @Tomo said, the GERD associated with Lap Bands/Sleeves doesn't respond to meds and there's always a gnawing, hungry sort of sensation that makes you feel like you always need something in your stomach to stop the torment going on in there, and that led me to eating slider foods, because they felt the best to my GERD tormented stomach. So I regained maybe ten pounds during my GERD period. Then in 2021 I had the band removed, then I lost the ten pounds that I had gained, because the GERD eased up a bit and I was able to eat healthier fruits and veggies that my Band wouldn't tolerate before and kicked the carbs to the curb. I'm currently almost 7 weeks post op RNY revision and I've lost twenty-nine pounds. So the scale is finally moving after years of being stuck. I feel like I didn't regain weight even after my band was removed due to a change in eating habits and behaviors that I adopted when I got my Lap Band. I maintained those, and yes it was easier after my Band was removed because I could eat healthier again. My Band wouldn't tolerate fibrous, healthy veggies most of the time. So I would say maintaining success in the long term relies on a change of behaviors and eating habits. One other thing that I think helps a lot of people maintain success is lifetime tracking of calories/macros.

I started 11/6 and was approved 12/18 after one phyc evaluation and one visit with the dietitian! I had gastric bypass This past Thursday 12/27! It went by so fast!

Good luck to you!! I had gastric bypass 11 days ago..everyday gets easier..i have already lost 25 pounds and i plan to lose 100 more. What are you thinking of having done? Bypass or sleeve?

I’m 2 plus years out of gastric bypass. I have lost all my weight plus some. According to the stats I’m under weight. I have ate absolute junk food to get my weight up. Just makes me feel like crap. Just to much sugar. I eat my fair share with in reason. My stomach seems not to be growing. So I can put more food in. I’m really starting to worry about other health issues that I tried to avoid by doing the surgery. I’m looking in healthy even I can see. When I’m 60 am I going to have issues maintaining or gaining then. I was not prepared for this. People are fully focused on how fast and how much. But not the bigger picture. I’m sure I’m not the only one dealing with this. People who are going thru this. I would like to here your opinion.

I'm a bit confused. Did you have revision, sleeve to bypass? You're showing marked as a sleeve patient and I recall you saying in another post a few days ago that you don't take vitamins, you just rely on a healthy diet to get your vitamins, which isn't recommended for bypassers. So the two posts are sort of contradictory, junk food vs healthy diet for vitamins. And also sleeve on your profile and now you're saying you got bypass two years ago. Can you clarify the details for us please? Thanks!

Newlifeb, I also had bypass on 12/30! I'm still having some pain in that incision as well, but it didn't sound as bad as yours. I over did it on Saturday around the house so yesterday I found that if I hold into that incision when I sit, lean, get up, that it helps. It was stressed to me before hand that the incision on the left is where the doctor sews up everything Very tight. There's a lot of work right inside there. Try and take it easy. Yes we do have to get up and move, but we also just had major surgery. I hope your pain ends soon, or at least gets better very soon:-)

After discussing it with Doc, I am getting the bypass surgery, no reflux issues.

I would love to hear what hoops you had to jump through to get insurance to approve a revision. My daughter had the band a year and a half ago. She lost 60 lbs right away, but stalled. We haven't been back for a band check/fill in a year. She still can't eat much at each sitting and only eats maybe twice a day. She also has PCOS. Had we known, we would have pursued sleeve or RNY. Advice?